Issues such as graffiti, public inebriation and homeless loitering are longstanding concerns to businesses and residents in the Hill's Pike-Pine neighborhood. Such concerns are now on the radar of Seattle City Councilmember Tom Rasmussen.
Last week Rasmussen attended an informal meeting at the Rosebud restaurant on East Pike Street. A group of roughly 10 business owners and residents, including Jill Janow, chair of the Pike-Pine Urban Neighborhood Council, and Chuck Weinstock, executive director of the Capitol Hill Housing Improvement Program, shared their perspectives with the councilmember.
"It was a chance for us to let him know about the issues we're still facing in our neighborhood," said Robert Sondheim. Owner of Rosebud restaurant on East Pike Street, he organized the gathering, which took place at the restaurant.
As owner of Rosebud for the last 11 years, Sondheim is no stranger to the Pike-Pine neighborhood's concerns. Nor is he a stranger to taking part in community organizations, having previously served two years as president of the now-defunct Capitol Hill Chamber of Commerce. Indeed, the chamber's demise last fall helped point him towards the notion of forming a new community organization to help fill the void.
Councilmember Rasmussen dines at Rosebud on occasion, and Sondheim spoke to him about getting a group together to talk about problems on the Hill.
"I have heard a lot of rumblings in the community about these issues lately," Sondheim said. "We want to put more pressure on the mayor, the City Council and city departments to help us clean up the area. This is a gateway neighborhood next to downtown and we need to address these problems before they get out of hand."
Sondheim said that recurring issues like crime and graffiti have become worse over the years. He senses that the homeless problem is much the same as it has been, which is far from good. And reading about the city's revitalization efforts in the University District and the Rainier Valley makes him want similar attention on the Hill.
"We face similar if not greater problems in this neighborhood, and we're being ignored," he said.
Police response is a specific concern. Sondheim said that he sees little police presence in the neighborhood after 5 p.m. In a case of notable timing, Sondheim's restaurant was broken into just three days before the group's meeting withCouncilmember Rasmussen. Arriving at the restaurant in the late morning, Sondheim came upon a man who had just broken in. The man fled (leaving his keys); Sondheim said it took 90 minutes for police to arrive. The officers apologized for the delay, saying they were overworked and understaffed.
Sondheim said that the neighborhood's goals are not unrealistic.
"We want the neighborhood to be safer, more inviting and more pedestrian friendly," he said. "The city needs to know about these things and I'm not sure they've been getting this information."
Councilmember Rasmussen, reached in his office several days after the meeting, said he appreciated hearing from the neighborhood.
"I think some of the people here have been trying to solve these problmes for some time, so there are varying levels of optimism," he said. "I will be talking to the Police Department and other city departments to see what more we can do. I'm happy to sponsor a meeting with the police, the Department of Transportation if that would be helpful."
Rasmussen said he is supportive of efforts to establish an Alcohol Impact Area on the Hill. He added that he believes a traffic signal could be in place at the Harvard Avenue-East Pike Street intersection by the end of the summer.
Additionally, one long-desired improvement may see the light of day relatively soon. A traffic signal at the intersection of Harvard Avenue and East Pike Street. It's been a frequent lament that traffic moves too quickly through that intersection, especially given that a traffic light is in place one block north along East Pine Street.
"I am familiar with the neighborhood, but the group reminded me that pedestrian issues are of great importance here. I know there is public drunkenness, graffiti and general hooliganism. And the city needs to find ways to make improvements that people will be able to see," he said.
He said he appreciated the pedestrian concerns in particular.
"I wonder if we should get away from thinking of the neighborhood as the Pike-Pine corridor," he said. "It makes it sound like a freeway, like it's just a route between places."
Sondheim said that the meeting was not intended as a one-time event. He hopes a new community organization evolves from it. He didn't expect a specific response from the Councilmember or an immediate list of promises. But he did want Rasmussen to hear from a variety of voices about the state of play in Pike-Pine.
"My ideal is for this dialogue to continue," he said. "If people are interested this can become an organization that meets regularly. It could expand beyond Pike-Pine to other Capitol Hill business districts. I'm hoping we can attract more people, set goals and put pressure on various city offices to help us clean up this neighborhood."
Robert Sondheim can be reached at 323-6636.
Doug Schwartz is the editor of the Capitol Hill Times. He can be reached at editor@capitolhilltimes.com or 441-1308.
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